Estate Planning

Estate planning is more than just having a will or a trust. Our personalized estate plans are drafted to ensure that your wishes for your estate, your family, and your legacy are met. It is important that you have an estate plan in place not only for when you are gone, but in the event you are incapacitated, as well. From your first consultation through to the signing, you will be educated on what an estate plan is and designing a plan that is custom-tailored to your needs. You will be involved from the onset to secure and safeguard your wishes.

Probate

In California when a person dies with assets in excess of $184,500 that are not transferred on death, a probate will have to be opened with the court. Probate is complex and rife with deadlines, rules, and requirements. It is crucial to have an experienced and knowledgeable attorney to assist from the first filing through to the final accounting.

Trust Administration

Assisting successor trustees to ensure that both the trust and trustee are protected, there is much more to a trust administration than simply distributing the trust’s assets. A trust administration involves finding the trust’s assets, settling the decedent’s debts, filing the required tax returns, and following the trust’s distribution schedule. We have years of experience in guiding successor trustees through the complicated process, as well as ensuring that the trustee is adhering to all legal deadlines and requirements.

Estate Litigation

The distribution of estates, whether by will, trust, or some other method, can be rife with disputes and contention. When those disputes arise, our firm has a dedicated litigation team experienced in representing all parties in such disputes. We have a proven track record of litigating and resolving will/trust contests, Probate Code section 850 petitions, actions to remove/surcharge trustees, accounting petitions, Heggstad petitions, and other disputes, and have successfully tried many of these cases to judgment and through appeal.